


Awards Season

by c00kie



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-06
Updated: 2014-02-06
Packaged: 2018-01-11 09:50:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1171658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/c00kie/pseuds/c00kie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary: For Rachel, who gave me the prompt: Leslie and Ben and whoever and awards season (since Ben's official statement on Angelina's dress at the Oscars was no comment)  and my brain went, "HOLLYWOOD AU!" and well, this happened. It's really silly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Awards Season

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Thanks to Caity for her input and Ashley for being the world's prettiest butterfly and beta.

**Critic's Choice:[ The black Herve Lerger ](http://jsp27.tumblr.com/post/73014813211/herve-leger-embellished-evening-gown-in-black)  
**

When Ben is ten, he turns to his sister and says, "I'm going to do that."

"You're going to fly a spaceship through an Exogorth?" Her brow furrows in confusion, not because she doubts Exogorth's existence, but because she can't see Ben being a pilot. He can barely ride his bike without crashing. 

Ben considers her only her for a moment. "No. I'm going to make movies."

Making movies turns out to mean writing scripts for a science fiction show that lasts a whole one and a half seasons, but it leads to writing full length pictures. Granted, eight times out of ten they go straight to video, but the two that do see the big screen do okay. One of them, "Attack of the Roller Skating Women from Mars" even becomes a cult favorite. 

Everything changes with his adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron." The script is sent around by his agent and the next thing Ben knows, it's being bought by Pixar and made into a full length animated feature that gets a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Nothing is the same after that. 

"Okay, I need you to promise me you won't say something dumb and embarrass me."

"Why would it embarrass you?"

"Because, everyone knows you're my client."

Ben stares at Tom for a moment before sighing and stepping out of his limo to be greeted by cheering fans and flashing lights. He's pretty sure none of them know who he is or even cares, it's entirely possible someone actually famous is behind him, but for a second it feels nice to be admired. 

Contrary to what Tom believes, Ben can actually talk to other people. It's the cameras that turn him into a human disaster. 

"How do you feel tonight?"

"I feel good," he says, pulling on his tie. "A little nervous,I mean great, really excited."

"Is this your first award show?" The reporter smiles. It's friendly with a touch of pity. 

Is it that obvious? "Oh,well once my high school had an awards ceremony...yes." 

"Well, good luck," she says as Tom rolls his eyes and pulls him away. 

"Do I have to talk to all of them?" Ben whispers into Tom's ear. Tom gives him a look and sighs. 

"No."

He lets out a sigh of relief and turns, only to come face to face with her.

She laughs and reaches out to grab his arm to steady herself. "Crap on a crab puff, these shoes are the worst." 

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, you didn't make them. Did you?"

Ben laughs. "No."

Her head tilts as she looks at him, probably to see if he's lying about being an evil shoe designer. "I know you."

"I doubt that," he says, his stomach flipping over. He would remember if he met Leslie Knope. 

"Are you sure? Weren't you at the Emmys?"

He shakes his head, willing his eyes not to look down her dress, not that the image of her cleavage isn't seared into his brain anyway. "Sorry."

The camera's flash, making him remember where he is. They're taking pictures of him. And her. Together. It's too much, makes his chest hurt.

"Damn. Who was it at the Emmys?" 

He's about to say he doesn't know, but then she's whisked away by her team to the next interview. She looks back though and gives him a wave. 

And he falls. 

Okay maybe falls isn't the right word. Crushes hard is probably more appropriate, but the point is, Ben is a C level writer who managed to catch a break and Leslie is an A list actress with a hit TV show and a bunch of award nominations. She is a million miles out of his league. 

And he absolutely does not search for the pictures of them together and save them to his hard drive. That would be creepy. 

He bookmarks them.

**Golden Globes:[Yellow Oscar De La Renta ](http://thantorn.tumblr.com/post/72962161940)  
**

"Here you are, Ms. Knope." 

Leslie takes the envelope from the assistants hand. "Thank you," she says and at the cue, she walks out on stage. She gives the audience a smile, winks at Ann and begins to read from the teleprompter. 

"Words inspire us, move us, teach us, and without them, us actors would be forced to get real jobs." She pauses as they all laugh and then continues. "This year's nominees for best screenplay are…" She reads the list of nominees, allowing a few seconds between each for applause. 

"And the winner is," she rips open the envelope. "Ben Wyatt for "Harrison!" She can't help but jump a little because Harrison was her favorite movie of the year. But her excitement isn't just because of the win, but rather because the man walking past the tables and celebrities is the same from the Critic's Choice Awards. 

She stands behind him as he gives his speech. He's adorably flustered and her eyes can't help but drift down to his butt. 

He really is quite cute. 

After he finishes, she walks with him and Miss Golden Globe backstage. 

"Um, I don't know what I'm supposed to do now."

"I think you're supposed to go talk to the press."

He looks absolutely panicked. "Do I have to?"

Leslie bites her lower lip to keep from doing something stupid like kiss that look off his face. "Yes. It won't be that bad. They're really nice. You'll do great." It's probably a bad idea to hug a guy who's essentially a stranger, but she does it anyway. She means for it to be quick, but he's hot and smells really good so her hand lingers on his back for a minute more than it should. 

When he pulls back his eyes flicker to her lips. "Um, good luck tonight."

She wants to say thank you, but someone is already pulling on his arm to take him into the press room.   
Leslie spends the rest of the ceremony texting with Ann. "I need you to tell me everything you can about Ben Wyatt." 

"I know he just won."

"I need more than that. Who's his agent? Is he dating anyone? Is he gay?"

"I can tell you he's not gay."

"How do you know?"

"Did you see the way he looked at you? He looked at you the same way Chris looks at kale."

Leslie smiles to herself. She hadn't noticed the look, mostly because she was too busy trying to resist her own impulse to jump him. It's utterly ridiculous, to crush so hard on a guy she's barely had one conversation with, but he was responsible for her favorite movie and he does have great hair and, if her beautiful and wise publicist is right, totally into her. 

She celebrates with another glass of champagne. 

 

There's a tiny possibility that she's drunk. But it doesn't matter because she's in a dress that makes her feel like she's wearing sunshine and her movie has already won four awards including one for April for best supporting. (Even if her acceptance speech was a bit odd.) and also Ben is totally into her. She knows she's going to end up being known as the woman who spent the entire ceremony looking around instead of paying attention but she doesn't care. She has to find him and make out with him on his face. 

During the commercial break everyone gets up to mingle, so she grabs her purse and follows the path leading up to Ben's table. A tall figure jumps in front of her though, blocking her path. "Hey, Knope, how are ya, beautiful?"

She sighs. "Hi, Jean Ralphio." 

"What do you say you and I skip out of this shindig and go have ourselves a real party?"

"I don't think so," she tells him. "But thank you."

His smile doesn't even flicker as he wishes her a good night and waltzes away to hit on the next woman. Or man, if the way he's looking at Daniel Craig is any indication.

"How the fuck did that guy get his own series?" Mark Wahlberg wonders. 

She shrugs. There are bigger mysteries to solve. Like how soon she can take off Ben's tie and use it to tie him up.

The break ends and she never gets the chance.

**SAGs:[Blue Monique Lhuillier ](http://24.media.tumblr.com/d728c36203c4c623f01561578d8e9efd/tumblr_mwmyzdFYa41sv7hpeo1_1280.jpg)**

 

He meets her again at an afterparty after the Screen Actor's Guild awards. He doesn't go to the actual ceremony but does get invited to several parties. After doing some internet stalking and finding out Leslie has a huge sweet tooth, he asks Tom which after party are supposed to have the best desserts. 

He looks down at her empty hand and frowns. "I'm sorry. You should have won."

"You should have called." 

Ben sighs. His agent had told him that Leslie was interested in hearing from him, but whenever he reached for the phone his hands got all sweaty and his tongue all tied in knots. "Yeah, I know. I just...you know who you are, right?" 

Her eyes narrow as she grabs a cream puff from a server's tray without looking. "Tell me," she says, popping the dessert into her mouth. 

"Um, you're Leslie Knope." 

Her expression says plainly. "I know my name." 

"And, um, well you're on this month's Vogue and you have an Emmy and I'm just a nobody writer. You're here-" he puts his hand above his head-"and I'm here-" He puts his other below his waist. 

"That," she says, "is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I think you're cute. I watched all of your movies after learning who you were and I loved all of them. Except the one with the telepathic raccoons, that one creeped me out."

"Animatronic raccoons creeped you out?"

"It hit a little too close to home," she says with a slight shudder. "The point is, I like you." 

Ben swallows. "Really?" 

She looks like she's debating whether or not to hit him, but thankfully all she does is grab yet another cream puff. "Um, I watched all your stuff too. You're very talented." And he's a hack who got lucky by taking a one of the best authors of the twentieth century's short story and turning it into a 115 minute movie. 

Her smile makes his heart squeeze. "Thank you." 

"So am I forgiven?" he asks, all too aware of how close they are now. 

"Buy me a chocolate martini." 

Ben nods. "One chocolate martini coming up," he says, knowing they're both aware he's promising more than just a drink.

Ben's brain feels like it's spinning as they climb into her limo. She says something to the driver that he doesn't hear but then the partition rises and he figures that's what she said. She grins at him and climbs into his lap, but stops, frowning. "My dress is all twisted-" she lifts her hips and grabs a hold of the fabric and pulls. "Okay that's better." 

Her lips brush over his and she giggles before doing it again. She leans back, and it takes him a moment but he realizes she's waiting on him. 

He surges forward, his mouth crashing with hers. He winces when their teeth clash but then her fingers pull on his hair and he hears a soft groan escape her throat and he kisses her again, rough still but without their teeth knocking against each other. When the kiss breaks she grinds down on him and he can only hold onto her waist as she scrapes her teeth against his jaw. 

"I really like your beard," she says against his neck. 

"Mm, thanks," He wants to pull her zipper down and touch her but he's not sure if he should yet. "It's kind of a screenwriter thing."

"You all have beards?" 

"Yep, even the women." 

Leslie cackles and it's the best sound in the world and he leans forward to kiss her but then the car stops. 

"Do you want to come inside?" 

"More than anything." 

**Academy Awards:[ Red Georges Mak ](http://shop.leclaireur.com/shopping/women/georges-mak-madona-dress-item-10557833.aspx)**

"And the winner is…" 

Leslie never intended to be an actress. She was going to be the first female President of the United States. She was going to get a job in government, work her way up, run for office and climb the ladder.   
But then she took a trip to California in college and while she was learning to surf, a casting director saw her and gave her his card. 

To this day she doesn't know why she decided to call it. Or why one small part on in a procedural drama opened the door to so many better roles. 

She's still waiting for them to realize she's just a girl from Indiana. That she doesn't belong there. 

"You're going to win," he whispers in her ear. She smiles but she doesn't believe it. She's the long shot. Ingrid de Forest is the favorite to win. She's won everything else. The Oscar belongs to her. But still, Ben's unwavering support feels nice, even if it is undeserved.

"Leslie Knope, for "Murder Mystery on a Train""

Winning feels like that moment when you're on an airplane that's just taken off and all you can hear is a rush of air but everything else sounds far away and it feels like your head is in a vice grip but then your ears pop and you can hear again. She stands only because Ben pulls her up and hugs her, and she knows he's saying something because she can see his lips move and then someone else is hugging her and then a man is taking her arm and leading her up the stage and then,

Pop. 

It's only when she gets to the microphone and accepts her statue that Leslie realizes she left her speech at her seat. 

"Oh, well this is embarrassing," she laughs and the crowd laughs with her. "I…" she takes a seconds pause. "I thank the Academy and my fellow nominees whose work inspires me on a daily basis, Ron Swanson for being my captain during the storm, the beautiful Ann Perkins for existing and taking care of me, my mom, my dad even though he's no longer with us, everyone who worked on this, my fellow cast mates, Lil' Sebastian…" The music kicks in and really she's grateful because she's about ready to thank her mail woman. "Oh and Ben! I love you, Ben!" 

It's not until after she exits the stage to go into the press room that she's realized what she's said. 

"So," he says when she comes back to her seat, wearing a smirk that she wants to kiss off. 

"So?" Maybe he didn't hear her. 

"You love me?"

"I know," she groans. "I'm sorry." 

His head tilts, the smirk still there. "You're sorry you love me?" 

"Don't be dumb," Leslie counters, thinking he's taking this well, considering. "I'm sorry I said it up there."

He looks like he's about to say something else but then the lights dim and the host comes back out and they fall into silence. His hand takes hers though, 

It's later, much later, when they're finally walking into her house after all the after parties, and she really just wants to sleep for a week that Ben grabs her wrist and spins her around, pulling her to him. She doesn't expect him to say it back, they haven't been together for very long, but he kisses her doubts away. 

He loves her, and that's better than any statue.


End file.
